TimeTree alternatives in 2026: when a shared calendar is not enough
Last updated: 2026-09-23
TimeTree is already one of the most generous free shared calendars: the free plan keeps the shared calendar and event comments, one calendar can hold up to 500 members, and Premium ($4.49/month or $44.99/year, first month free) mostly removes ads and adds attachments. So people rarely leave TimeTree for a better calendar. They leave because a family needs more than a calendar — a shopping list, expenses — or because someone will not install the app and make an account. FamilyWall and Cozi add lists, AnyList is the strongest shopping list, and Family Magnet adds a shared shopping list and expenses and lets relatives join with a six-digit code.
The comparison
Prices and limits checked 2026-09-23. Sources at the foot of the page.
| App | What the free plan gives you | Paid tier | Lists & expenses | How family members join |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family Magnetours | No calendar window limit, no member limit, no ads. Core notes, calendar, shopping list and expenses are free. | Free | Shared shopping list and expenses on the same board, totalled by category. | A six-digit invite code, valid for seven days. Only the person who creates the family needs an email address. |
| TimeTree | The free plan keeps the shared calendar and event comments; Premium removes ads and adds file attachments, vertical view and event priority. | Premium $4.49/month or $44.99/year, first month free | Shared calendar with per-event comments. No shopping list or expenses. | Each member installs the app and creates an account. |
| FamilyWall | Free covers the shared calendar, shopping lists, messaging and contacts; Premium adds Google and Outlook calendar sync, meal planner, budget tracker and real-time location sharing. | Premium $4.99/month or $44.99 billed annually | Shopping lists free; the budget tracker is Premium. | Each member installs the app and creates an account. |
| Cozi Family Organizer | The free version shows ads, and from Agenda view you can enter events for the next 30 days only; unlimited future calendar access is a Gold feature. | Cozi Gold $39 (per year, per household) | Shopping lists and to-do lists. No expense tracking. | Every member signs in to a shared Cozi account or their own account. |
| AnyList | Free covers shared shopping lists on iOS and Android; web and Mac access, recipe import, meal planning and price tracking are Complete features. | AnyList Complete $9.99/year individual, $14.99/year household | Strongest shopping list in this table; price tracking is paid. No family calendar. | Each member installs the app and creates an account. |
What TimeTree's free plan already covers
Before switching, it is worth being clear about what you would give up. TimeTree's free plan keeps the shared calendar itself and the per-event comments that make it good for coordinating. Its help centre puts the limits at 500 members per shared calendar and 20 calendars per account — far beyond what any family needs.
Premium, at $4.49 a month or $44.99 a year with the first month free, removes ads and adds file attachments, event priority, a vertical view of up to three days and photos in event comments. If ads are the only complaint, paying for Premium is simpler than moving everyone to a new app.
When a family needs more than a calendar
TimeTree is a calendar and stays one: it has no shopping list and no expense tracking. Families who end up running TimeTree plus a lists app plus a spreadsheet are the ones who look for an alternative.
FamilyWall is the closest all-in-one: its free tier covers the shared calendar, shopping lists, to-do lists and messenger, with the budget tracker, meal planner and Google or Outlook sync on Premium at $4.99 a month or $44.99 a year. Cozi has shopping and to-do lists alongside its calendar, free with ads, but its FAQ says the free version enters events from Agenda view for the next 30 days only. AnyList is the strongest shopping list here but has no family calendar.
Family Magnet keeps notes, the calendar, a shared shopping list and category-totalled expenses on one board, free, with no calendar window limit and no member limit. It has no meal planner, no recipe import and no location sharing — if you need those, FamilyWall or Cozi is the better fit.
When the problem is getting everyone in
TimeTree, like every other app in this table, expects each member to install it and create an account. That is the step where many family calendars quietly fail — the grandparent who never finishes signing up is not on the calendar, however good the calendar is.
This is the one place we are not neutral: Family Magnet exists because of that failure. One person signs up with an email address; everyone else joins by typing a six-digit code that is valid for seven days, in a browser, with no account and no app store, and can add events like anyone else. If everyone in your family is already happily on TimeTree, there is no reason to move.
Common questions
Is TimeTree free?
Yes. TimeTree's free plan keeps the shared calendar and event comments. Premium costs $4.49 a month or $44.99 a year, with the first month free, and removes ads and adds file attachments, event priority and a vertical view.
How many people can share a TimeTree calendar?
TimeTree's help centre says one shared calendar can have up to 500 members, and one account can have up to 20 calendars.
What is a TimeTree alternative with a shopping list?
FamilyWall has shopping and to-do lists free alongside its shared calendar. Cozi has lists too, with a 30-day Agenda-view entry limit on its free version. Family Magnet keeps a shared shopping list and expenses on the same board as the calendar, free.
Is there a TimeTree alternative that does not need an account for everyone?
Family Magnet: only the person who creates the family needs an email address, and everyone else joins with a six-digit code valid for seven days, with no password and nothing to install. TimeTree, FamilyWall, Cozi and AnyList all expect each member to create an account.
Sources
Every price and free-plan limit above was read off the vendor’s own page on the date shown. No figure here comes from another blog.
- Family Magnet — https://homefamilyboard.com/about/ (checked 2026-09-09)
- TimeTree — https://timetreeapp.com/intl/en/premium (checked 2026-09-23)
- FamilyWall — https://www.familywall.com/premium.html (checked 2026-09-23)
- Cozi Family Organizer — https://www.cozi.com/faq/ (checked 2026-09-23)
- AnyList — https://www.anylist.com/complete (checked 2026-09-09)
- TimeTree — Calendar and member limits — https://support.timetreeapp.com/hc/en-us/articles/205924545-About-calendar-and-member-limit (checked 2026-09-23)
More guides
- Best shared family calendar apps in 2026: what each free plan actually gives youPrices and free-plan limits for five shared family apps, each one taken from the vendor's own page and dated.
- Cozi alternatives in 2026: what the free plans give youWhat Cozi's free plan restricts, and which four apps give that part away — with the price of each paid tier.
- How to share a calendar on iPhoneApple's own steps, plus the requirement that stops most families: everyone you share with needs an iCloud account.
- How to share a Google Calendar with your familyGoogle's own steps, its five permission levels spelled out, and which one a family actually wants.
- Best shared calendar apps in 2026: which one fits who you are sharing withThe best shared calendar depends on who is on it: a partner, a whole family, or relatives who will not sign up. What each app gives free, sourced.
Specific questions, answered
- My parents won't create another account. How do they join our family board?
- Our family lives in three time zones. How do we share one calendar?
- Can one app handle both a shared shopping list and family expenses?
Family Magnet is a free shared board for one family — notes, calendar, shopping list and expenses in one place, in fifteen languages. See how it works, or read the product fact sheet.